Toy elevator



NOV- 18, 1941 l. s. HEINMILLER 2,262,933

TOY ELEVATOR l `Filed Nov. 28, 1939 l2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Nov. 18,1941. s. HEINMILLE'R 2,262,933

TOY ELEVATOR y Filed Nov. 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORNEYSPatentecl Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY ELEVATOR IthamarS. Heinmiller, Menands, N. Y.

Application November 28, 1939, Serial No. 306,579

2 Claims.

This invention relates to toy elevators, and its general object is toprovide ay motor operated elevator controlled by manually actuated meanswhich when moved in one direction will cause the car to ascend and in anopposite direction, to descend, While in neutral position the controlmeans acts as a brake for the motor, and renders the same inactive, thuspower is not being consumed when the car is not running.

A further object is to provide a toy elevator including a housing forthe car to travel in, and the housing has landings or platformssimulating oor levels, with doors at each landing, whereby access can behad to the car.

Another object is to provide a toy elevator with springs at the top andbottom of the housing to retard and cushion the car as it approaches thesame.

A still further object is to provide a toy elevator, that is simple inconstruction, inexpen-f sive to manufacture,` and extremely eiiicient inoperation, use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to behereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings Wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of the elevator which forms the subject matterof the present' invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 2-2 of Figurel, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken approximately on line 3-3 of Figure2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken approximately on line 4 4 of Figure2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 5-5 of Figure2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 6-6 of Figure4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 'I-l of Figure4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a sectional View taken approximately on line 8-8 of Figure6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral I indicatesan elongated vertical housing which is preferably square in crosssection in the form as shown, and may be of any appropriate height. Thehousing provides a shaft for the car totravel in and includes front,rear and side walls, and top and bottom walls, with partitions 2 and 3within the housing adjacent to the top and bottom walls, as clearlyshown in Figure 2 which likewise illustrates that the side walls havewindow openings therein.

The outer face of the front, rear and side walls are preferably paintedto simulate bricks, as indicated in Figure l, and the front wall hasplatforms 4 secured thereto and extending horizontally therefrom, atequi-distantly spaced relation with respect to each other along theheight of the housing, the platforms being supported by triangularbracing members 5, and extend from the front wall at the lower end ofopenings 6, each of which are closed by a pair of sliding doors lmounted in guide strips 8 secured along the upper and lower ends of thedoor openings, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

The doors of each pair are movable in unison with each other, and forthat purpose I provide bell crank levers that include long arms 9extending longitudinally of the doors and having their lower endsslotted, with the Shanks of knobs III mounted in the slots, for the armsto slide on the Shanks, and at the juncture of the long arms with theshort arms II, the bell crank levers are pivoted as at I2 to the innerface of the front wall, while the short arms extend in convergingrelation from the long arms and have their inner portionsdisposed inoverlapped relation and connected together by a pin and slot connectionI3. By that construction, it will be obvious that when either one of thedoors of a pair is opened or closed, the companion door will be movedaccordingly.

Mounted for travel in the housing is a car I4 that is guided in itsmovement by channel members I5 fixed vertically to the side walls of thecar and slidably mounted on strips I6 secured to the side walls of thehousing, as best shown in Figure 3. The front of the car is open, andthe side walls thereof are provided with window openings I1, while thetop and bottom walls have lugs I8 struck and extending outwardlytherefrom as shown in Figure 2. The rear wall of the car is preferablyclosed and it will be obvious that the car is arranged Within thehousfrom the bottom wall of ing so that the open front will face thefront wall of the housing, to allow access to the car when the doors 1are open.

Connected to the lug of the top wall of the car isl one end of a cablethat is trained about pulleys 2| mounted in brackets 22 and 23 securedto and depending from the top wall of the housing, the bracket 23includinga coil spring so as to hold the cable taut at all times, aswill be apparent. the cable extends along the rear wall ofthe housingand has its lower run trained about pulleys 24 and 25, and thence it isconnected vto ly shown in Figure 2.

Fr'om the resiliently mountedr pulley 2|,

between a pair of upright bearingbrackets 26v secured to and risingfromV the bottom wall of the housing, and the pulley 25 is ixe'dto oneen'd of a shaft 2l that has its ends journaled in iup-i right bearingbrackets 28 secured to andrising the housing; 1sV Jbest shown in Figure4. i

Ihe cable extends through openings in the partitions v2 V and Sandeachvv of the partitions have coil springs 29secured thereto in the`'path yof '4 the car to provide bumpers therefor, as' will be apparentupon inspectionv of Figure`2. i i

The power means for the yelevator in the form as shown,` is a springmotor which includes an open frame casing 3U provided with parallelportions having journaled therein` and bridging the same a pair 'ofAshafts 3| and 32, the shaft 3| having fixed thereto one end of a' coilspring33,

while its opposite end is fixed to a cross member y ,y

The means for transmitting the `power from the spring motor to the shaft2 for raising and lowering the car, as well as for 'controlling thelatter includes a shaft 39 having one end journaled in a portion of thecasing 36 and its opposite end in an upright bearing bracket 40 securedlfixed to the shank 52 of a hand wheel 53, the shank being mounted forrotation in a bearing bracket 54 and in the side wall of the housing fordisposal of the hand wheel exteriorly of the with the `tire 46, thewheel 45 will rotate in a direction to cause the car to ascend. When the'hand wheel is moved in an opposite direction, the Y .left hand wheel 42will be disposed out of contact with the tire 46, but the right handWheel 42 will'remain in engagement therewith for rotating the wheel 45in a direction to cause the car to 'riesce/nd. HoweverLwhen both wheels43 are engaged with the tire` 46, the car remains stationary vand vthespringsV 43 apply sucient pressureV against the wheels 42, for the tire46 to act as a brake, to render the motor inactive, thus power isnotbeing consumed when the car is not runlling.

I preferably provide a governor 56 mounted on the shaft 39, so that thelatter will be rotated at the lsame speed at all times.

From the foregoing andthe disclosure in` the drawings, it will beobvious that the -car is under vhonstant control of theoperator atalltimes, to

be stopped and started as desired, merely by movement of the hand wheel53 through themediurn of the knob 55, in eitherV direction, it dependingof course uponwhether the operator desires the car to ascend or descend,with thefre- 4sult it'will be seen that my toy elevator will pro- 'vide'much amusement and fun AVand is manually controlled substantially inthesame manner as a real elevator.k v

Itis thought from the foregoingjdescription that the" advantagesandnovel kfeatures of the 45` invention' will be readily apparent.

It is tobefunderstood that changes Vmay be `made in theconstructi'orr'arrd inthe combination Vvand arrangement of the severalparts, provided secured to the shaft 39 and meshes with the gear 38 sothat the shaft 39 is rotated by the spring motor and the shaft 3S issquare cornered for the major portion of its length,V as clearly shownin Figures 4 and '7. v Y i f5 Mounted on the square cornered portion ofthe shaft 39 to be carriedthereby, but for slidable movement thereon isa pair of disk'wheels`j42 normally urged toward eachother bycoil-springs 43y qU'v D vwhat 1 claim is;

changes fall within the scope ofthe pp'endedjclaims,

l'. 'Mechanism of the fchar'a'cter described, comp'rising' adrivenshaft, a friction wheel having a sleeved on the shaft 39 and lhavingtheir inner end convolutions engaging washersv 44 bearing against thewheels, as best shown in Figure `7. Mounted on the 'shaft 21 fordisposal between the wheels 42 is a wheel 45 having a rubberr tire Fixedto the square cornered portion of the,

shaft 39 for-rotation therewith, is an inner sleeve 41 that has slidablymounted thereon an outer sleeve 48 whichhas secured thereto andextending therefrom a pin 49 mounted within a slot 50 extendinglongitudinally in the upper end of thevr crank member 5|, the latterhaving its lower end rubber' tire" thereon "and Afixed to said shaft, a

spring motor, a drive shaft geared to the motor,

spring-`pressed wheels. normally engaged with lthe periphery o'f thetirevup'oh diametri'cally opposite, sides .thereof to hold the motorrinactive,

said `sprir'ig 'pressed whe'el'sY imounted on thedrive 'shaft toherotated thereby and for slidable move*- ment into and out of engagementwith the tire/a sleeve mounted lonr the ldrive 4shaft Vto be` rotatedthereby, a sleevemounted `fbi' `slidable movement on the rst sleeve, andmanual lmea-ns -for moving the latter-sleeve against either of --the'spring pressed wheels for disposing either of the latter wheels out ofengagement 'with the tire 'for fro 'tating said driven shaft 'in eitherdirection.

12.' Mechanism of the character .'de's'cribed, comprising a drivenshaft, affriction wheel fixed` to' saidshat, adrive shaft, 'springpressed wheels slidable movement into and out of engagement with thefriction Wheel, a sleeve mounted on the drive shaft to be rotatedthereby, a sleeve mounted for slidable movement on the first sleeve andengaged Awith the spring pressed Wheels for moving either of the latterwheels out of engagement with the friction wheel for rotating saiddriven shaft in either direction, a pin secured to the slidabiy mountedsleeve, a hand 'Wheel including a shank mounted for rotation, a'gripping knob secured to the hand wheel, and a crank member secured tothe shank and having. a slot with the pin extending therein for movingthe slidably mounted sleeve upon rotation of the shank.

ITHAMAR S. HEINMILLER.

